Chapter One: Dziú’s Son

Chac, the rain god, noticed dry and under-nourished plants struggling to live in the weak soil of the Earth. He decided to burn the land to increase nutrients in the soil. Chac called on all birds to help him. He asked them to save all plant seeds, especially seeds of the corn that was so helpful to men.The fire started, and all birds did their work picking up the closest seeds they found. One particularly colorful bird with brown eyes searched desperately for cornfields, but the smoke was thick and it was almost impossible to see. At last, the colorful bird found the corn. Without regard for the fire and his own safety, he swooped in to save the seeds. Unfortunately, the bird was disfigured by the fire, and lost his beauty. His eyes were turned to red.Chac wanted to reward this hero of a bird, so the rest of the birds were told that from this time on, the hero would not need to nest or care for its young. Otherbirds would be foster parents. This red-eyed bird was called Dziu